With 31 varsity sports programs and several other recreational physical activities, athletics play a vital role in every Hill student’s development. Competing on an athletics team or cheering on the sidelines helps foster the strong sense of community on campus.

The Hill School is a strong, compassionate, and supportive family community where the faculty genuinely knows each student. It is a place where students are challenged to grow and achieve things they never thought possible.

One student, educated in The Hill School traditions, can positively affect the lives of thousands. Gifts to The Hill will make a direct impact on daily life at our school, further positioning The Hill as an educational institution that is extraordinary, every day.

Girls' Ice Hockey

During the 2000-01 season – just the third year of coeducation at The Hill - a group of girls’ who were interested in playing ice hockey joined the JV “B” boys’ team before forming a dedicated girls’ team at the end of the season. The next winter, the first varsity girls’ hockey team took to the ice, and the program shortly thereafter became established in the Mid-Atlantic and New England. Over the last two seasons, the program has elevated its stature to reach the top tier of prep hockey in North America.

The Lady Blues play an arduous schedule including opponents from the New England Prep Athletic Council (NEPSAC) and Womens' Ice Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic (WIHLMA). The 30-35 game schedule includes Mid-Atlantic and independent prep rivals Lawrenceville, Shady Side Academy, Gilmour Academy, and Northwood and top New England programs such as Westminster, Kent, St. Paul’s, Phillips Exeter, Deerfield, Gunnery, Canterbury, Greenwich Academy, St. George’s, Worcester Academy, and Winchendon. The team plays an increasingly difficult schedule each year including several top exposure events attended by college coaches.

The coaching staff believes that structure, attention to detail, and hard work are the building blocks of success. Off-ice conditioning is available during the preseason, as Hill has a full-time strength and conditioning coach on staff. During the season, the team typically is on the ice six days a week, and utilizes off-ice time for video instruction and team-building activities. A goaltending coach also is available for on-ice goaltending instruction during the season.

As important as our tangible success is, our program takes the most pride in the overall experience our student-athletes have both within and outside the hockey program. We take pride in how well our alumnae perform at the collegiate level, both academically and athletically. Our student-athletes have committed to or gone on to top Division I and Division III colleges/universities.

Our program is housed in the Hall/Eccleston Arena, which is a part of The Hill’s Athletics Complex in the heart of campus. Ice goes down in late-September, and is available to our student-athletes until the conclusion of the season. The rink holds 500 spectators and contains state-of-the-art facilities.

For more information on the girls’ hockey program please email Head Coach Ari Baum or fill out the online inquiry form below.

Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Ari Baum | abaum@thehill.org
Ari Baum arrived at The Hill in 2012 and took over as the head coach of the varsity girls' ice hockey team that winter. After graduating from Cornell University in 2007, he returned to his high school alma mater, The Gunnery in Washington, Conn., where he was an assistant coach with the perennial New England power varsity boys’ hockey team. He also served as the associate athletic director and coached in the girls’ tennis program. He recently earned his master’s degree from Columbia University’s Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership. Coach Baum is The Hill's Dean of Students and a member of the history department, and he resides in Upper School Dormitory.